The sociology of politics has in recent times shown a preoccupation with the problem of political deviance, as manifested in the case of working-class conservatism. Surprisingly enough, no study has yet appeared of the reverse political phenomenon - namely, middle-class participation in radical politics. This book attempts to remedy this by considering the social and attitudinal characteristics of the supporters of the most important middle-class movement to emerge in Britain in the post-war period - the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.
Dr Parkin begins by discussing the emergence of a distinctively youthful political movement and the two main theories explaining radicalism among the young. He then considers the ideological differences among CND supporters. Information is provided on the social-class membership of CND youth and connections are suggested between their general status positions and the type of radicalism they exhibit.
The sources of recruitment to mass movements are next considered, in particular the notion of 'alienation' from the three aspects of isolation, powerlessness and rejection of dominant values. The author then describes the manner in which various groups and organizations sought to explain the significance of the Bomb in terms of their own specific ideologies and discontents, and follows this with a discussion of the unilateralist conflict within the Labour movement.
The relationship between social status and radical politics is explored and the differences in left-wing attitudes and values, which exist on the basis of social-class membership, are examined. Finally, Dr Parkin discusses the relationship between education, occupational choice and politics.
This book is an important contribution to political sociology. Apart from the CND movement itself, it adds much to general theory and to the specific study of a number of "institutional" areas, for example, the study of youth and of alienation. The nature of its subject matter does however make it a work of great interest to a very wide audience, and one that should appeal to the general reader.